Signal device for kinetoscopes



W. WENDERHOLD.

S DEVICE FOR KINETOSCOPES.

lCATlON FILED JAN.13, 19l6.

1 1 34 35 Pawnted'July 13,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET lw/rss/ss; INVENTOR W. WENDERHOLD. SIGNAL DEVICE FOR KINETOSCO PES. APPLICATION HLED MN. 13, 1916.

1,346,358. P en d 1y13J920.

' I 3SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR.

w. WENDERHOLD. SIGNAL DEVICE FOR KINETOSGOPES.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I3, 1916. 1,346,358. Y I Patented July 13,1920, v I 3 $HEET$SHEET 3.

lNVENTOf.

v p i that I, WILLIAM WENDER- Iron), a citizen of the United; States, residing at ,New York oity',.in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. in Signal Devices for Kinetoscopes,-of whichthe following is'a clear, full, and exact description.

This invention relates to a signaling device for motion picture machines, the object being to proviclea device thatwill call the operators attention to the fact thatthe exhibition of a filmlis'jnearing completion.

It is ,awell known method among motion picture, operators to punch or perforate a series of holes .in the] film near one of its ends to inform him of the approaching termination of the exhibition inprogress. A considerable amount of film is damaged by this custom audit is also inefficient, since the operator is apt'to miss thesignal when he is not watching the screen constantly. I therefore provide a device by sound, lighter any othermeans of signal, the approach of the end of the film, which device, though controlled by the film, does not require a marking or injury thereof, nor is it necessary for screen forsaid signal. The device is preferably m'ou'nted'near, thequpper film roll in a kinetoscope and can kinetoscope now in use. g V

The scope of my invention will i be, pointed out in the claims.

Referringto the drawings;

. Figure l isa vertical section through the device as attached to akinetoscope.

Fig. 2is a partial View'of the attachment.

F ig. 3 is anupper magazine as atttached to akinetoscope. t j

Fig. 4 is a partial view of amagazine containing a roll of film. v r

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional viewof the device showing the arrangement provided to operate an electrical signal. p 7 f Referring'to thedrawingof Fig. '1, 4 is the usual'metal magazine box, section l being part of its supporting frame. K is the upper part of a kinetoscope, and H is the upper feed sprocket in the same. .The film' F is received from theusual-film reel it, which is supported by shaft ll, which shaft is supported by the general support frame 1. (See Big. 4). i

.Be it known I 7 SIGNAL DEVICE, FOR 'KINiETOSGOPES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application. filed. January 13, 1916.

with a 1m 24.. 23,24, and 27, '9

which will signal the operator to watch the Y be adapted to any 1 s PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM WENDERHOLD, or NEW YORK, N. i arron, AooaPoRATroN' ASSIGNOR TO "CRUF PATENTS :coziroor NEWYORK.

Patented July "13,1920.

Serial 71,860.

To accomplish the object in view, I provlde a. roller 23 to bear 7 The roller 23 is p p These" parts together with arm 29 in which the bar 24 is socketed, constitute a lever-pivoted toturn 'on'the axis 36, so that the welght of the lever will cause the rollerthereof to bear upon the periphery of the roll 013mm. The parts 2 1-, 27 and 23 follow the periphery from the time the film reel is full (see Fig. 4) until it is almost exhausted (see Fig. 1), and will cause the lever to drop past theperiphery of the .rollfwhen the film thereof isnearly exhausted, and as the lever falls, the point 29? on the arm 29 will hit the pin 37, which will actuate the bell arm 38 and ball hammer 40, giving signal. by the sounding ofthe bell .39.

Thus, the operator knows that the film is nearly exhausted, or as shown in F ig- 5, the arm 29 when dropping willjhit the pin 43 and close the electric switch S mounted in the'inclosure'tt. Of course'th'e electric cir-v cuit closing can be'use'd to close I the circuit driv nganother machine and so make a performance absolutely continuous, or p it can connect an electric lamp,'}the lighting up of which can act as a signal where the sound of a bell is not desirable. r

The supporting box 35, in which 29 is mounted, issecurelyfastened on the magazine 4. i

The above is a general description of its operation, and I willnow proceed to describe some other improvements contained against'the periphery f therein. Should'the operator desire that-the signal should occur earlier or later,it will be observed that'the ba'r 24 is slidablysecured within the armor member 29 and the length.

of the bar projecting out of the end ofthe arm can be adjusted and the two parts fastened together after the adjustment has been made by means of the screw 29?. The bar can then be vmoved inward or outwardin member 29, thereby causing the roller 23 and its supporting member 29 to drop sooner or later as may be desired. 7

Another, objecti'sto automatically move I the lever back film reel is to the exhausted 7 object is accomplished as follows: All film magazines are provided with a door 5 be placed in the box or when reel. is tobetaken out, which into the box 35 when a new mounted by means of a hinge 3. By opening the door 5, the lever is moved backinto box 35, which door must be opened before a reel can be taken out or placed therein. The hinge bracket 3 and hinge shaft 17 upon which a miter gear 18 is mounted will operate miter gear 19, which is. loosely mounted on axis 32 upon which is also loosely mounted the arm 29 of the lever.

Now, the arm 29 has a pin 29 extending into a recess in the miter gear 19 (see Fig. 2), so that when the door 5 is closed, the le ver can drop against the film, but since the door-'5 is fastened on hinge 3, when the door is being opened the gear will lift the lever by the pin 29. Therefore, 'whenever the door opened, the lever is back in the box 35, and the film reel can be taken out or put in without trouble. The spring 16 mounted between members 29 and 35 furnishes the lever with tension to lie against the film roll F. The spring 14 shown in Fig. 3 is mounted on the hinge shaft 17 for the purpose of keeping the door closed. The spring 15 is mounted on the shaft 17 for the purpose of keeping the pin 17 which is secured in the shaft against one side of a recess in the hinge bracket 3 so that when the door is opened and the arm 29 is back in the box and it should be desirable to open the door farther, the door can be opened the amount ofthe recess in the hinge without action on the miter gears 18 and 19. This is purely for the purpose of keeping the door action flexible and not absolutely stopped when the arm 29 is fully back in the box 35.

The rollers 8 and 9 as shown in Figs. 3 and 1, are the usual rollers provided in a kinetoscope or film box. 21 is a glass plate usually mounted in the cover 5 of the film magazine used in a kinetoscope.

hat I claim as my invention is:

l. The combination with a film roll, a supporting structure therefor, a roller adapted to contact with the film on said film roll, asupport for said roller, an arm pivotally carried by the supporting structure, means for ustably attaching said roller to said arm, a signal device, and means controlled by the movement of said arm for actuating said. signal device.

2. In a motion picture apparatus utilizing a film roll, a pivotally mounted lever ada ited to be extended or retracted into variouslengths and to contact at its free end with said roll, a screw for retaining said lever in any adjusted length, a support and inclosure for said roll and lever, a door for said inclosure, connections between said door and said lever whereby said lever is withdrawn from the roll when the door is opened, said lever, upon closure of said door, resuming contact with the film roll, such contact continuing until the roll is reduced to a predetermined diameter dependout upon the adjustment of the lever when the lever passes by and out of contact with the roll.

8. In a motion picture apparatus having an inclosure for a roll of film, a pivotally mounted memberbearing at one end against the periphery of the roll during its variations in size until it is reduced to a predetermined diameter, when said. member moves past and out of contact with the roll, a signal device and means actuated by said member when it moves past and out of contact with said roll for actuating said signal device.

l. In a motion picture apparatus, a container for a film roll, a lever adjustable in length, pivotally mounted in said container and adapted to bear against the periphery of said roll, said lever being so positioned that, when the roll has been diminished to a predetermined diameter, said lever will drop by gravity out of contact with said roll, a signal device, and means actuated by said lever when it drops out of contact wit 1 the roll for actuating said signaling device.

5. A motion picture apparatus including a magazine having a door, and an attached supporting box, a member pivoted in saidsupporting box, to bear against a roll of film within the magazine, said member consisting of a plurality of parts adjustably united to vary the length of said member, and means operated by the movement of said door for moving said member away from the film roll when the magazine is being opened said member, being released to bear against the film when the door is closed.

6. In a motion picture apparatus, means to indicate the approaching termination of the supply of film from the film roll, said means consisting of a signal indicating device, a pivotally mounted member, a roller mounted therein and adapted to bear against the periphery of the film roll during the revolution thereof, said pivotally mounted member being adjustable in length so as to move past and out of contact with the periphery of said roll when the latter has been reduced to a predetermined size, the member by such movement operating the signal indicating device to indicate the approaching completion of the film exhibition in progress.

7. In a motion picture apparatus means to indicate the approaching termination of the film supply from a film roll said means comprising a film reel, a support for said reel, a member pivotally mounted on said support, a roller carried at the end of said member and adapted to bear against the periphery of the film roll during the revolution of said roll, said member being member past the periphery of said r011 for actuatlng sald slgnal lndicating device.

Signed at New York city, New York, this eleventh day of January, one thousand nine hundred and sixteen.

WILLIAM WENDERHOLD.

Witness ROBERT RICHTER. 

